3/2/08 - Playing Catchup

I need to do some catching up.

In January I took a course on capturing personalities with portraits. There was more info than I care to try and repeat in this blog, but the essence of it focused alot on the eyes and waiting for the right moment. "The eyes are window to the soul" and in photography, this is even more the case since the audience does not have the benefit of engaging the subject in conversation or watching the subjects actions. As the photographer, it is our job to attempt to capture what we perceive is the subjects personality and/or mood in 2D. Capturing the eyes at the right moment is one approach.

There was also a wealth of information related to using natural light with screens and reflectors. Since I enjoy environmental portraits, this was very helpful to me. Two pieces of knowledge I can pass on are: 1) When in doubt about which reflector to use with a portrait, try a gold reflector specked with silver. This reflector tends to provide the least harsh, yet still warm reflective light. 2) You almost always what your reflector to be at a direct opposite angle as your light source for the most even coverage.